Hamas raid kills nine soldiers in Gaza airstrikes. A day after Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns, killing hundreds and abducting unknown numbers, Israel pounded Gaza on Sunday, threatening a major new Middle East conflict.
Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exchanged artillery and rocket fire, while two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide were killed in Alexandria.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “mighty vengeance for this wicked day” after Israeli air strikes hit Gaza housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque, and homes of Hamas officials, killing more than 300 people.
Hundreds of Hamas fighters were still fighting Israeli security forces in southern Israel 24 hours after a rocket barrage smashed through security barriers and army bases.
According to Israel’s military, which faces questions over its failure to prevent the attack, it had regained control of most infiltration points, killed hundreds of attackers, and captured dozens more. However, some areas were still under attack.
Hamas raid kills nine soldiers in Gaza airstrikes. According to the statement, tens of thousands of soldiers have been deployed in the area surrounding Gaza, a narrow strip of land that is home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and all Israelis living near Gaza’s borders are being evacuated.
The military will be attacking Hamas severely and this will be a long, long haul, a spokesman said.
On October 8, 2023, Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS PHOTO
Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the attack was “in defense of our people”, adding that the group’s fighters were still firing rockets.
Israel was attacked in the largest and deadliest attack since Egypt and Syria launched a sudden assault 50 years ago in an attempt to reclaim lost territory.
In addition, the conflict could undermine US-backed efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which could threaten Palestinian self-determination hopes and hem in Hamas’ main supporter, Iran.
Hezbollah, Tehran’s other regional ally, fought a war with Israel in 2006, and tensions have been escalating ever since. Hezbollah should not get involved in this, and I don’t think they will,” Israel’s army spokesperson said.
Assault at dawn
Israelis were reeling from the sight of bloodied bodies lying on suburban streets, in cars and in their homes on Sunday morning following Saturday’s attack.
There were over 400 Israelis killed in the raid, including senior military officers, according to Israeli TV reports, as terrified Israelis recounted their plight over the phone.
Hostages, including soldiers and civilians, were rescued after fighters escaped into Gaza. In a statement later on Sunday, Hamas said it would disclose how many captives it had seized.
Israeli media reported that about 30 missing Israelis attending a dance party that was attacked on Saturday emerged from hiding on Sunday.
Many Israelis captured, some filmed being dragged through security checkpoints or driven into Gaza bleeding, adds another layer of complication for Netanyahu following previous hostage exchanges.
On Sunday, Hamas fired more rocket salvos into Israel, and the Israeli military said it would combine an evacuation of border areas with a search for more gunmen.
Several steps have been approved by Netanyahu’s security cabinet to destroy “for many years” Hamas’ and Islamic Jihad’s military and government capabilities, as well as cut electricity, fuel supplies, and the entry of goods into Gaza, according to the Israeli government.
In Gaza City, October 7, 2023, smoke and flames billow after Israeli forces strike a high-rise tower. REUTERS PHOTO
DESTRUCTION OF GAZA
Air strikes on Gaza began shortly after Hamas attacked and continued overnight and into Sunday, destroying the group’s offices and training camps, as well as houses and other buildings. Several areas have been cut off from water by Israel, according to Hamas.
Approximately 2,000 Palestinians were wounded in the retaliatory strikes that killed 313 people in Gaza.
A black smoke plume, orange flashes, and sparks lit the sky as explosions erupted. There was a sound of Israeli drones overhead. In contrast to previous strikes on residential buildings, Israel’s military did not give advance warning.
The bodies of seven people, including five children, were recovered from a bombed house in a Gaza refugee camp by neighbours.
Israel blitzes Gaza after Hamas surprise attack
On Sunday morning, people searched through the remains of a mosque in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. After night prayers, the mosque was bombed. Children, the elderly, and women were terrorized,” said Ramez Hneideq, a resident.
You were warned
There has been escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where a Palestinian authority exercises limited self-rule, opposed by Hamas which wants Israel destroyed.
Under Netanyahu’s hard-right government, Israeli raids and attacks on Palestinian villages have worsened, and the Palestinian Authority has called an emergency Arab League meeting.
Israeli politics have been convulsed by internal wrangles over Netanyahu’s plans to reform the judiciary this year, stalling peacemaking for years.
According to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the assault in Gaza would spread to the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Gazans have lived under an Israeli blockade for 16 years.
During a speech, Haniyeh highlighted Israel’s ongoing blockade and normalization of relations with countries in the region as threats to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is also sacred to Jews.
“How many times have we warned you that the Palestinians have been living in refugee camps for 75 years, and you refuse to recognize their rights?”
A rocket and artillery attack has been reported in the north by Lebanon’s Hezbollah against three posts, including a “radar site” in the Shebaa Farms, an area occupied by Israel since 1967.
In response, Israel fired artillery on southern Lebanon. No casualties were reported.
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